A major piece of Danny O’Brien’s training infrastructure is headed to the market, with the Melbourne Cup-winning horseman offering his Thirteenth Beach Training Centre on the Bellarine Peninsula for sale. The move signals a tightening of focus for a stable that has used the Barwon Heads base as a key satellite for more than a decade. Set across 64.39 hectares, the property is built for scale and variety. It includes three tracks — a 2000m grass circuit, an all-weather sand track and a 1600m heavy sand track — alongside a 46-box barn and 16 spelling paddocks. Its proximity to Thirteenth Beach has also been a strong card, providing easy access for horses to work on the sand when conditions and programming suited. A long list of headline performers has passed through the facility during its peak years. Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare did important work there, as did Cox Plate hero Shamus Award, 2013 Newmarket Handicap winner Shamexpress, weight-for-age talent Russian Camelot and the high-class colt Star Witness. For O’Brien, the base has served as both a training hub and a reset button, allowing horses to thrive in a quieter environment away from the bustle of the major courses. The decision to sell, however, stems from a broader shift in business shape. O’Brien said a review late last year prompted a plan to reduce overall numbers and consolidate operations. “We just had an evaluation of all of our business towards the end of last year and figured that rather than training 120-140 horses like we have for the last five or six years, we’d like to get down to about 80,” he told Racing.com. That change makes three venues unnecessary, particularly with renewed investment planned at Flemington. “In doing that, we really only need two venues now, not three. Particularly with the recommitment to Flemington, there’s going to be a lot of money spent on Flemington over the next few years, upgrading the facilities here,” he said. O’Brien added: “We’re going to keep the Flemington and Geelong bases, the property at Barwon Heads we’re probably not going to need now that we’re going to streamline things a bit.” “It’s been a fantastic property for us, and we’ll be sad to see it go but the way we’re going to structure things going forward, we’ll just have a Geelong base and a Flemington base,” he said. The Thirteenth Beach Training Centre is being sold through Donovan and Co. and can be viewed online. O’Brien’s stable has opened 2026 in strong form with 11 winners from his past 50 runners at 22 percent, and he will be represented in Saturday’s Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes by Closer To Free, winner of the colts and geldings division of the Blue Diamond Prelude (see below).
Attica Has to Overcome Wide Hobartville Alley
Thursday, 19th February 2026
Familiar surroundings await when Adam Hyeronimus reunites with Group 1 winner Attica at Rosehill on Saturday, the pair linking again in the Group 2 Kia Ora Hobartville Stakes (1400m). From a wide alley, the task won't be straightforward, and the jockey concedes the colt will need to rely on the same resilience that defined his rapid rise through the spring. That ascent was as swift as it was emphatic. Within four starts and just 52 days, Attica vaulted from maiden company to the summit, claiming the Spring Champion Stakes and doing so without favours. Circumstances forced him to concede starts and circle rivals, yet he sustained searching runs to put races beyond doubt. Saturday's contest presents a different puzzle but one not entirely unfamiliar. "It's always a little bit unknown when they come out of the Spring Champion Stakes but the win he had in that race and prior they probably came from positions where he was a victim of circumstances and we had to take our medicine,'' Hyeronimus said on Sky Sports Radio. "He was still able to overcome that and loop the fields and win dominantly. It's the strongest race he's contested and it'll be good to see where he's at with the other colts going forward." Debate has swirled around his three lead-up trials, completed without blinkers over 800m, 900m and 1000m, but the rider sees reassurance rather than warning signs. "I think they've been good, they were very much like his trials last preparation,'' he said. "Before he had his first race start he'd had six or seven trials and they were all similar. Once he went to race day and was asked for an effort he knew it was time to go and the blinkers made a big difference as well." The spacing has been deliberate too, with 18 days between his latest hit-out and race day. Planning, Hyeronimus believes, has been meticulous. "Joe's planned things perfectly knowing he was going to 1400m first-up and then the Randwick Guineas, mile, second-up. He can do it at that distance, he's won well at the distance before. It's going to be a small but competitive race and it should be a nice gallop. I expect him to run very well." Early markets reflect that optimism, installing him among the better fancies for the Guineas races, though stretching to Derby distance later in the autumn remains an open question. The affection in the saddle is unmistakable. "He's such a beautiful colt, he's so big but he's so relaxed and light on his feet,'' Hyeronimus enthused. "Once you give him a good message to go it's game on and he can sustain a good gallop. He's definitely a Group 1 colt, it's a matter of what races he ends up in this preparation but I have no doubt whatever race he goes to he'll be very competitive and measure up." As Rosehill beckons again, the partnership returns to a stage where toughness once told the story, hoping it does so again.
Tasmania Ready to Cheer on Geegees in Oakleigh
Thursday, 19th February 2026
Anticipation is building within the Te Akau camp ahead of Saturday's Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield, where former Tasmanian galloper Geegees Mistruth shapes as a genuine contender in the 1100m sprint. Now under the care of Mark Walker's Cranbourne team, the Tasmanian mare has tightened in betting in recent days, and those closest to her believe the confidence is justified. Ben Gleeson admitted on The Verdict podcast that it is difficult not to feel upbeat about her prospects. "Our filly hasn't done much wrong," he said. He suggested that had she drawn barrier one first-up, her market position may have been even stronger. "I think if there was a one next to her name, she's probably shorter in the market, again. A lot of people have speculated what would she have done if she got out (first-up) but I'm pretty adamant she would have won well." A recent trial appears to have reinforced that view. "She trialled the house down, last Monday, against Group horses," Gleeson said, adding that her work since has only strengthened the impression she is ready to peak. Her regular rider at trackwork has also played a key role. "Laura, her track rider, has done an incredible job getting her to be a happy horse – she has literally been one of the differences in making her – she couldn't pull her up, this morning. That enthusiasm in training has caught Gleeson's eye. "I've never seen her do that before. She nearly went another lap of Cranbourne and she's not a keen horse – you see her off the bridle in most of her races." He believes her demeanour is lining up perfectly with the timing of a major assignment. "I think her mannerisms are really peaking at the right time." The race shape will be important. "Hopefully, it's a smaller field than usual, so there aren't as many backsides to pass. If she can draw midfield and truck up, behind them – Mick Dee in the saddle – she ticks a lot of boxes." With that scenario in mind, Gleeson summed up the mood succinctly: "We are pretty excited, we are."
Well Written to Face Promising Raider Asakura
Thursday, 19th February 2026
A line has been drawn in the sand ahead of next month's $4 million Kiwi at Ellerslie, with Ozzie Kheir locking in his challenger to take on New Zealand's unbeaten headline act Well Written. The Melbourne Cup-winning owner confirmed on Wednesday that Mitch Freedman's progressive three-year-old Asakura will carry his slot in the southern hemisphere's richest race for the age group. Speculation had gathered pace after reports that Freedman was weighing up a trans-Tasman raid with the Churchill gelding, fresh from his Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes second at Flemington. That run, where he loomed ominously at the 1400m before being outfinished late by Sixties, only strengthened the case for stretching to 1500m at Ellerslie on March 7. Standing in his way is the Stephen Marsh-trained Well Written, the Yulong part-owned filly who is unbeaten in five starts and a commanding $1.20 favourite with bookmakers. Asakura sits on the second line of betting at $8, but Kheir believes the form stack makes him a worthy adversary. "I have watched Asakura with great interest over the last month, particularly knowing he is a highly talented three-year-old qualified for the NZB Kiwi," Kheir said. "We didn't have the right three-year-old ourselves to take over this year, so we have been searching for the best available horse to take on the rising star of New Zealand racing, Well Written. In Asakura, we believe we have a horse capable of giving her a serious challenge." The owner was equally clear about the appeal of the colt's profile. "He brings top-class Australian three-year-old form to the race. Mitch Freedman had the option of staying home to contest the Australian Guineas, but he was keen to head across and take her on and that was good enough for me." Freedman has since confirmed that The Kiwi will be Asakura's next start, signalling a deliberate tilt at a race that has quickly gained international attention. The prizemoney was recently lifted from $3.5 million to $4 million, adding further incentive to the clash. Kheir has prior experience with the event, having partnered with Coolmore in last year's inaugural running when Public Attention finished eighth behind Damask Rose. This time, the approach feels more pointed: a progressive Australian colt against an unbeaten New Zealand star, with reputations on the line.
Asakura will attempt to defeat Well Written (pic: Mark Gatt)
Wexford Weighs in With Big Ellerslie Numbers
Thursday, 19th February 2026
In what could be a highly rewarding weekend in New Zealand, co-trainers Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott of Wexford Stables have a big team set for Saturday's premier raceday at Ellerslie, reports racingnews.co.nz. They have Yulong-owned Ohope Wins (Ocean Park-Choux Mania, by Redoute's Choice) in the Gr1 New Zealand Oaks along with stablemates Acer (Savabeel-Sweet Treat, by Ekraar) and Clara Bow (Ocean Park-Shuffled, by High Chaparral). Waitak (Proisir-Repo Bay, by Shocking) runs in the Gr1 Ōtaki-Māori Weight-for-Age Classic. "As always we're treating it as one race at a time," O'Sullivan said on Tuesday about Ohope Wins. "Any consideration for a Derby start will only come after we've discussed that with her connections and not until after Saturday. We're very happy with how she came through that last run at Te Rapa and everything has gone to plan since. Joe Doyle came across to ride her in her main gallop this morning and she worked very well on the course proper. Clara Bow will be ridden by Warren Kennedy and she also worked well, as did Acer. All three fillies are very well. Erin Leighton, who rode Acer well when she won the fillies' race at New Plymouth and had a close association with the stable when she was in Matamata, will ride her again." Waitak hasn't raced since Boxing Day. "We made the decision to back off and freshen him up, after all he had already had a big year with more to come," O'Sullivan said. "That way he would get the opportunity to perform up to his best in the last two. We're very happy with him heading into the mile race, and that will work well for the step up to 2000 in the Bonecrusher Stakes. Also featuring a cracking field for the Gr1 New Zealand Oaks, the meeting has five stakes races programmed – all run at Group level.
Bates Back in the Big Time Saddle
Thursday, 19th February 2026
Relief was etched as much as excitement into Tuesday morning at Caulfield when Declan Bates climbed back aboard Pride Of Jenni for trackwork. The ride marked more than a reunion with the mare who has reshaped his career, according to racing.com. It signalled the end of a testing rehabilitation after injuries that left him counting small improvements by the day. A fall at the Ballarat jump-outs on December 6 resulted in what he described as "nasty" damage – a broken pelvis and sacrum. The prognosis suggested months rather than weeks, yet the real challenge lay in the daily discomfort. "It's a bit of a frustrating injury because you can't get any relief," Bates said. "If you are sitting down, you are putting pressure on it and even lying in bed you are putting a bit of pressure on it so that's why the first month you don't feel like you are healing at all so it's quite frustrating." For a rider accustomed to constant movement, enforced stillness proved the hardest adjustment. "I was a little bit worried with the injury at first but once it started to come good over the last month, it has really rapidly improved and luckily, I am back almost ahead of schedule," he said. That schedule was built around Pride Of Jenni's autumn return, with the $2 million G1 All-Star Mile at Flemington on March 7 pencilled in as the likely starting point of what could be her final campaign. Motivation, Bates admitted, was never in short supply. "It's massive when you are a jockey to have a nice horse to look forward to especially when you've had an injury," he said. "Obviously, you always want to get back as quick as possible, but when you've got a really good horse to come back for, it really helps the motivation to get back as strong and healthy as possible. I was keen to get back racing two weeks prior to the All-Star Mile and that way it gives me a good two weeks of race riding." Christmas passed quietly. "The first month to six weeks it was quite sore," he said. "It (Christmas) was a bit ordinary but in saying that it was nice to have a bit of time off over summer to spend with the family but obviously couldn't do a whole lot to begin with." As the pain eased, the workload increased. "The last month I have really started to improve and I've done a lot of work because I knew that Jenni was on the comeback too, so I pushed pretty hard to get back as soon as possible." Now back riding trackwork and jump-outs, he plans to resume race riding at Terang on Friday. As for the mare, he senses familiar signs. "Like me, she's got a little bit of fitness to come on and a couple of kilos to shed, but she feels great, her usual self and enthusiastic in her work," Bates said.
Pride of Jenni is reuniting with Bates (pic: Mark Gatt)
Nobody Told Zackariah Beau How Old He Is
Thursday, 19th February 2026
In a paddock beside his trainer’s North Boyanup home, a 12YO gelding is still carrying on like time is optional – and Western Australia keeps watching in disbelief, reports racingwa.com.au. Zackariah Beau, foaled there in 2013, added another chapter last week when he won at Belmont in what became the 106th start of his career. “He’s obviously never seen his birth certificate,” Greg Beauglehole laughed. “No one would believe you if they looked at him and you told them how old he is. He’s a bloody legend and he just loves what he’s doing.” Having raised and educated him from the home paddock, Beauglehole now faces the reality that Australia’s racing rules will force retirement in four months, which makes each run feel increasingly precious. A return to Belmont on February 25 is likely, and the statistics around him keep stacking up: fifth-oldest thoroughbred still racing in Australia, oldest in WA, and only one of five 12YOs to win a WA race in the past decade. His latest success also arrived nearly eight years after his first win in Broome in 2018. “This is as good a preparation as he’s had for a fair while and it’s going to be quite sad to have to retire him, quite sentimental,” Beauglehole said. The attachment is obvious, shaped by years of routine and care rather than any grand plan. “He’s always been so pleasant and it’s just been a blessing to have a horse like him to train. We took him to Broome a couple of times and he didn’t like the dirt, but we just couldn’t leave him at home here in the paddock,” he said. “People take their pet dogs on a holiday and we don’t want to leave our nice horses behind. It’s a beautiful thing and I don’t know where you would get another horse like him.” Beauglehole said the $71 starting price with TABtouch at Belmont didn’t dull his confidence, and he linked the gelding’s sharpness to the family, headed by broodmare Brookesmebaby, a four-time WA winner in 2010. He also races siblings Crippalenko and Olivia’smemumma, and described Zackariah Beau as a horse who stays switched on and thrives on his routine, adding that meticulous attention to safety — at home and on the road — has helped keep him sound and happy. Racing WA Head of Animal Welfare Caroline McMullen said longevity is shaped by biology and management as much as training skill. “Science supports that racehorse longevity is strongly influenced by individual biological variation in development (maturity), adaptation to training loads (fitness and strength) and response to injury management,” she said, adding that “a training approach that recognises and manages horses as individuals… alongside careful training load management, is central to improving career longevity.” Dr McMullen also pointed to advances in early injury detection and fitness monitoring, with Racing WA supporting prevention and management initiatives through research funding and its Advanced Imaging Rebate Program.
Inglis Premier Adds Eight Oaklands Supplementaries
Thursday, 19th February 2026
A final batch of eight supplementary yearlings has been locked in for the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, lifting the completed catalogue to 814 lots ahead of Melbourne’s March showcase. The late additions add further depth to an already strong line-up at Oaklands Junction, with pedigrees that touch many of the sale’s most in-demand commercial influences. The supplementaries include progeny of Ghaiyyath, whose son topped last week’s Classic Yearling Sale at Riverside, alongside yearlings by Written Tycoon, Stay Inside, Tagaloa, Home Affairs, Alabama Express, Farnan and St Mark’s Basilica. Collectively, the group gives buyers extra opportunity across proven domestic speed lines and sought-after European blood. Vendor representation is spread across some of the powerhouse operations in the nursery. Yulong will offer two of the eight, as will Twin Hills Stud, while Newgate Farm, Coolmore Stud, Balius Farm and Blue Gum Farm will each contribute one. The lots will be sold in catalogue alphabetical order, with lot 807 scheduled for Day 1 and lots 808 through 814 to follow on Day 2. Inglis Victorian Bloodstock Manager James Price said the decision to incorporate supplementary entries into their select yearling sales has already proven its worth. “The addition of supplementary lots to our select yearling sales at Classic and Premier is a new move for us, but it worked well at Classic and our expectation is that these horses will be well received at Premier,” Price said He also reported a buoyant build-up to the sale, with strong engagement on the lead-in inspections. “We were delighted with how the catalogue came together through the spring, with excellent local and interstate support for the sale and buyer engagement to this point has been very encouraging,” he said. “Interest in our pre-sale inspection trips this week has been very good and we are looking forward to welcoming vendors and buyers to Oaklands next week.” He pointed to recent results as a key driver of momentum. “Graduate success from the sale over the past 12 months has been excellent and the momentum behind the sale continues to build and build,” Price said, noting the sale produced two G1-winning 2YO colts last season in Vinrock and Nepotism. He added that the fact each of the past three winners of The Everest offered at public auction were Premier graduates was another marker of the sale’s relevance at the top end. The Premier Yearling Sale will be held at Oaklands Junction in Melbourne from March 1-3, with inspections officially beginning on Tuesday, February 24.
Yearlings by Stay Inside are becoming increasingly popular (pic: supplied)
Frankie Set to Lay Down the Lor
Thursday, 19th February 2026
Fresh from celebrating his 60th birthday with a Sha Tin double last Saturday, Frankie Lor turns his attention to Thursday’s Year Of The Horse Raceday seeking to build on that success. Born in the Year of the Horse, the trainer fittingly fields a six-strong team across the 11-race card, with particular emphasis on the feature event. His chief hopes in the HK$3.12 million Class 2 The Year Of The Horse Cup (1600m) are Regal Gem (119lb) and Voyage Samurai (121lb). Regal Gem, a progressive four-year-old, went close to claiming the overall DBS x Manulife Million Challenge before finishing fourth in a Class 2 1200m at Happy Valley. Attention has since shifted to the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, with the HK$26 million 149th BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March looming as a potential objective. “Regal Gem will not run in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), but if the opportunity arises, the owners would like to try and run in the Derby. The Year Of The Horse Cup over 1600m is a good stepping stone, and if he runs well, he may go straight to the Derby,” Lor said. He also reflected on the colt’s prior attempt at the trip: “He’s raced a mile once before at Happy Valley, but circumstances were against him – he sat outside the leader without cover from a wide gate, yet wasn’t beaten far. His recent 1200m run suggests he now needs more ground and I believe he can stay further. Hopefully he finds cover this time.” Rider bookings underline stable intent. Derek Leung sticks with Voyage Samurai, while Alexis Badel takes over aboard Regal Gem. Lor is comfortable with that arrangement, noting: “Derek knows Voyage Samurai very well and will ride him again. I was pleased with his recent trial, and he should be competitive on Thursday. He was scratched last time due to a minor issue, but he’s fully recovered and showed eagerness in his latest trial. He has a big stride, so he’ll likely take the initiative or race closer to the lead.” The Year Of The Horse Cup is Race 6 at 3pm and shapes as a searching contest, with Encountered, Beauty Eternal, Gorgeous Win, Packing Angel, Soleil Fighter, Talent Ambition, Stunning Peach and Top Dragon among the opposition. Proceedings begin at 12.30pm with the Class 5 Kung Hei Handicap (1200m), setting the stage for another significant afternoon for the in-form stable.
Tasmania’s MM Sale No Longer a Secret
Thursday, 19th February 2026
Value keeps turning up where the island bargain-hunters shop, and the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale is again being held up as the best return-on-investment play in the country. According to tasracing.com.au, the case study writes itself through the stable of John Blacker, whose 2025 spend of $166,000 for eight yearlings has already been eclipsed on the track before he heads back to Quercus Park, Carrick, for the 2026 sale on February 23. Most of that story has been driven by an Armidale Stud-bred colt bought early in the sale for $60,000, the priciest of Blacker’s purchases. Aristopolos, a first-crop son of St Mark’s Basilica, has raced only four times and already banked $218,705 in prizemoney, plus $43,600 in bonuses, stamping himself as Tasmania’s standout 2YO. His 8.5-length demolition in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at Hobart earlier this month put an exclamation mark on the promise, and he now heads to Launceston chasing a clean sweep in the Gold Sovereign Stakes. That is the striking part: he is the only one of Blacker’s eight from last year’s sale to have made it to the races to date, yet the return has already covered the rest. It is a neat illustration of the point local buyers and agents keep making — the strike-rate doesn’t need to be perfect if the entry price is manageable and the upside is real. The same Hobart card provided another reminder in the same colours when Daytona Diva delivered black type in the Strutt Stakes. Sourced from the 2024 Tasmanian Yearling Sale for $40,000 by former trainer Tanya Hanson, the Anders filly has now earned $168,430 plus $21,800 in bonuses from eight starts, and she will attempt to build on that in Friday night’s $150,000 Tasmanian Oaks. She is one of five stakes winners to emerge from that 2024 catalogue, alongside Sanniya and Mazzini, both purchased by Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock, as well as Yum and Zany Girl. Sanniya cost $67,500 and has returned close to six times that on prizemoney alone, winning six of seven starts including the Gr3 Mystic Journey Stakes this month. Mazzini, the $145,000 sale-topper, has already cleared $300,000 across prizemoney and bonuses with six wins from eight runs. Yum, passed in, has become a Listed winner on the mainland for breeder-owners the Breese family, while Zany Girl, a $65,000 purchase, is a Listed winner with more than $250,000 banked for Prime Thoroughbreds and trainer Stuart Gandy. Between them, those five have surpassed $1.3 million in prizemoney and bonuses, and they are only midway through their 3YO season. The 2026 sale offers 125 lots, including a Brutal half-sister to Mazzini and Durazzo (Lot 70), a Pinatubo half-brother to Yum (Lot 93), and a Hanseatic half-sister to recent Pakenham winner Tough Romance (Lot 34), plus siblings to Still a Star, I’ll Have a Bit, Tango’s Daughter Celavi, Greatham Boy, The Spirit of Zero and Mystical Pursuit. Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said, “We have a great line up of yearlings – a number of significant lots by high class stallions – buyers will be impressed,” adding, “The sale each and every year churns out a number of black type performers both across Tasmania and the mainland – recently the sale has done a remarkable job with a number of good winners in Hong Kong led by Bundle Award.” That 2020 graduate cost $110,000 and has since become a Hong Kong Group 3 winner with earnings equivalent to about AU$2.6 million.
